The naming of one team to play regular games in London over the next few years comes as no surprise – league officials have made no secret of their desire to establish a regular "home" team that local fans can call their own – but the choice of the Rams, and the length of the arrangement, is intriguing. The team's lease at their St Louis home, the Edward Jones Dome, expires in 2014.

With the league's commissioner, Roger Goodell, having previously stated that the NFL is looking into the possibility of a London franchise it is hard not to wonder whether the Rams are being primed for a potential relocation. That may be reading too much into the situation, but even if Stan Kroenke is not planning to uproot the Rams to bring them nearer to his other sports team – Arsenal Football Club – it seems likely that he will at least use the perceived threat as leverage in negotiations over potential stadium renovations (or even a new build) with the city of St Louis.

"This is a tremendous honour for our franchise, the city of St Louis and our fans throughout the world," said Kroenke, who is also majority shareholder of Arsenal. "We are excited about the opportunity to reach new audiences globally. This is a great platform to showcase the city of St Louis to London and the UK.

"We've seen first-hand the increased popularity of the NFL not only in London but throughout Europe. To play a role in that growth over the next three years will be incredible and is a testament to the many good things happening not only in the NFL but also in the St Louis Rams organisation."

The question is, then, will any London-based NFL fans really adopt the Rams, a team who finished with the joint-worst record in the league this year, winning only two games, and who have not been to the playoffs since 2004? And do fans really believe they could eventually relocate? If so how do you feel about that prospect?